Sir John Soane
1 portrait
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- Extended Catalogue Entry
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Sir John Soane
by John Jackson
oil on canvas, 1828
29 1/2 in. x 24 1/2 in. (749 mm x 622 mm)
Transferred from Tate Gallery, 1957
Primary Collection
NPG 701
On display at Sir John Soane's Museum, London
Artistback to top
- John Jackson (1778-1831), Portrait painter. Artist or producer associated with 232 portraits, Sitter in 6 portraits.
This portraitback to top
By 1828, the year in which this portrait was painted, Sir John Soane, the hard-working and brilliant architect of the Bank of England, had grown melancholy as well as rich. His portrait was commissioned by the Governors of the British Institution and was described as 'The Portrait of John Soane, R.A., Painted by order of the Directors of the British Institution, as one of its most liberal Benefactors.' It shows Soane as an old man, slightly quizzical, watery-eyed and thin-lipped; but he was justifiably proud of his achievements and there is a copy of his Lectures on Architecture delivered at the Royal Academy open on the table in front of him.
Linked publicationsback to top
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- Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: An Illustrated Guide, 2000, p. 115
- Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 115 Read entry
By 1828 Sir John Soane, the hard-working and brilliant architect of the Bank of England, had grown melancholy as well as rich. His portrait was commissioned by the Governors of the British Institution and was described as 'The Portrait of John Soane, R.A., Painted by order of the Directors of the British Institution, as one of its most liberal Benefactors.' It shows Soane as an old man, slightly quizzical, watery-eyed and thin-lipped; but he was justifiably proud of his achievements and there is a copy of his Lectures on Architecture delivered at the Royal Academy open on the table in front of him.
- Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 573
- Walker, Richard, Regency Portraits, 1985, p. 465
Events of 1828back to top
Current affairs
Duke of Wellington becomes Prime Minister.Madhouse Act attempts to regulate asylums and ensure new arrivals are genuinely insane.
Repeal of the Test Acts removes political restrictions from dissenters, allowing them to hold public office.
Art and science
London Zoological Gardens open in Regent's Park. They provide both entertainment and a supply of exotic specimens for naturalists and anatomists such as Richard Owen who becomes a European authority on the subject.International
Daniel O'Connell is elected Member of Parliament for County Clare but as a Catholic is not permitted to take his seat.Comments back to top
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See this portrait
On display at Sir John Soane's Museum, London